Democrats and Lobbyists Party in Miami, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Gets Bombed and More in Capital Eye Opener: February 4

MONEY IN MIAMI: Democratic senators and K Street lobbyists hit the beach over the weekend at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee retreat at the Ritz-Carlton South Beach Resort, an event with the purpose of raising money for Democratic Senate candidates in the 2010 election. Twelve Democratic senators in attendance conducted receptions and were available for “informal conversations” with the 108 lobbyists who joined them. Interestingly, the lobbyists there were representing industries that Democrats have typically been in conflict with regarding recent legislation. Interests present included, according to Politico, the American Bankers Association, Altria (tobacco), Marathon Oil, Lockheed Martin (defense contractor), McDonald’s, Ford and the Human Rights Campaign. Reports of the Miami fund-raiser are inconsistent with the rhetoric of congressional Democrats, who regularly attack corporate interests and their political influence. Even Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), was getting some sun. The office of Sanders, who prides himself on fighting special interests, was quick to emphasize that in addition to large corporations, civil liberty organizations and trade unions also attended the event. During the 2008 election cycle, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee raised $162 million.

DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL DEVELOPMENTS: Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen have given Congress the green light on repealing the1993 law “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” which bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military. In his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama reiterated his campaign promise to repeal this policy. On Tuesday, Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee, “I fully support the president’s decision.” But Republicans aren’t necessarily convinced by Mullen’s announcement that a congressional appeal is “the right thing to do.” Republicans have historically opposed lifting the ban, but the GOP’s position is weakened now that the Pentagon is on board with the change. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is currently under fire for flip-flopping. In the past, he stated that he would advocate repeal only when top military leaders approve. However, McCain has responded to the go-ahead from Gates and Mullen with an announcement that he still does not yet support a repeal and is waiting for additional statements from military leadership detailing an official, not personal, position. In the meantime, Gates and Mullen have recommended a special investigation on how to go about implementing the potential policy change, which is expected to take at least a year. A decision will follow a concerted political effort by the gay and lesbian rights and issues lobby, led by the Human Rights Campaign, which spent $1.6 million in lobbying expenditures in 2009.

DEMAND QUESTION TIME: It isn’t often that the red states and blue states come together with a common goal. But make no mistake: The latest campaign for government accountability has some level of bipartisan support across the country. Sparked by the exchange between Obama and Republican House leaders at a GOP retreat last week in Baltimore, Americans are calling for open dialogue sessions to become tradition. A collection of media commentators, bloggers and political consultants and have partnered to launch the online petition “Demand Question Time,” which asks the administration to make candid conversation a regular feature of government to be broadcast on the Web and on television. However, the administration does not seem especially keen on the proposal to make “Question Time” routine. “The thing that made Friday interesting was the spontaneity,” White House senior adviser David Axelrod explained to Politico. “If you slip into a kind of convention, then conventionality will overtake the freshness of that.” As of 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, the petition had 4,702 signatures.

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